MICROSCOPY INSTRUMENTS WITH DETECTOR ARRAYS AND BEAM SPLITTING SYSTEM
Microscopy instruments with detectors located on one side of the instruments are disclosed. The microscopy instruments include a splitting system and an array of detectors disposed on one side of the instrument. A beam composed of two or more separate emission channels is separated by the splitting system into two or more beams that travel along separate paths so that each beam reaches a different detector in the array of detectors. Each beam is a different emission channel and the beams are substantially parallel.
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This disclosure claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 61/511,093; filed Jul. 24, 2011.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis disclosure relates to fluorescence microscopy and, in particular, to fluorescence microscopy instruments with camera systems.
BACKGROUNDMulti-camera fluorescence microscopy provides a dedicated camera for each fluorescent emission channel allowing for improved speed and optical optimization. However, splitting the fluorescent emission channels into different optical paths and directing each emission channel to a separate camera often results in asymmetric and complicated optical systems. Consider for example a typical microscope with three cameras located on three different sides of the microscope. Light composed of three emission channels emitted from three different fluorescently labeled components of a specimen is collected by an objective lens. The light exits the objective lens and is split by the microscope optical system into three separate beams. Each beam is composed of light of one of the emission channels that travels along a separate optical path to one of the three cameras.
However, because the cameras are located on different sides of the microscope, the camera cables and tubes used to transport coolant to the cameras project out of each side of the microscope that includes a camera. As a result, the footprint of the microscope can be large, which may be a problem when attempting to install the microscope in a limited lab space. In addition, the camera layout is asymmetric and irregular cabling and tube projections can substantially diminish the overall aesthetics of the microscope. For these reasons, engineers, scientists, and microscope manufacturers continue to seek microscopes with layouts that reduce the overall footprint of the microscope and are more aesthetically pleasing.
SUMMARYMicroscopy instruments with detectors located on one side of the instruments are disclosed. In one aspect, a microscopy instrument includes a splitting system and an array of detectors disposed on one side of the instrument. A beam composed of two or more separate emission channels travels along an emission path to the splitting system. The splitting system separates the emissions channels so that each emission channel travels along a separate path to one of the detectors in the array of detectors. The two or more paths travelled by the separate emission channels are substantially parallel so that each channel is received by a different detector in the array of detectors.
A portion of the N emission channels are collected and collimated by the objective lens 102 into a single emission beam 130. The beam 130 is reflected from the polychroic mirror 104 to travel along a central optical emission axis that runs parallel to the z-axis of a Cartesian coordinate system 131 associated with the instrument 100. The beam 130 passes through the emission filter 110 which blocks stray excitation light. The tube lens 112 can represent a single lens or represent a number of lenses and other optical elements that focus the beam 130 onto an image plane at the detectors 116 before the beam 130 enters the splitting system 114. In an alternative embodiment, each beam can have its own separate tube lens positioned downstream of the splitting system. The splitting system 114 separates the emission channels of the beam 130 so that each channel follows one of N separate, substantially parallel paths through the emission filter(s) 110 to a detector in the planar array of detectors 116. For example, directional arrows 132 and 134 represent substantially parallel output beams in which the output beam 132 is the emission channels λem1 directed to the detector 136 and the output beam 134 is the emission channel λem2 directed to the detector 138. Each detector in the array 116 can be a photodetector array, a CCD camera, or a CMOS camera. In an alternative embodiment, each beam can pass through a separate excitation filter. The splitting system 114 and the planar array of detectors 116 form a detection system of the instrument 100. The detectors in the array 116 can have any suitable arrangement but the detectors lie in approximately the same plane facing the splitting system 114.
Detection systems are not intended to be limited to planar arrays of up to four detectors. In other embodiments, detection systems can have five or more detectors in a planar geometric arrangement. For example, five detectors can be arranged so that the detectors are located at the vertices of a pentagon and six detectors can be arranged so that the detectors are located at the vertices of a hexagon. In other embodiments, the detectors can have an irregular planar arrangement and are not intended to be limited to planar, regular, two-dimensional geometrical arrangement.
The planar arrangement of detectors on one side or to the back of a microscopy instrument as described above is compact, which minimizes the footprint of the instrument. With all of the detectors located on one side or to the back of the instrument, the instrument can be more rapidly and conveniently installed in a smaller area and all of the cables and coolant tubes used to operate the detectors protrude from one side of the instrument rather than the cables and coolant tubes protrude from a number of different sides of the instrument, which improves the aesthetics of the instrument.
Spitting systems can be implemented with a set of optical filters located along the emission axis of a microscopy instrument and a second set of mirrors positioned around the set of optical filters. Each filter is configured to reflect a particular channel to one of the mirrors while allowing transmission of other wavelengths. Each mirror is oriented to reflect one of the channels to a corresponding detector. The channels are reflected in substantially parallel output beams to the detectors as described above with reference to the examples shown in
In practice, the detectors of a detection system are attached to detector mounts in a back of a microscopy instrument and the detectors and the positions of the detectors may be varied slightly with respect to their distance from an ideal plane.
The number of detectors of a microscopy system can be scaled up or down. In other words, a microscopy system that includes the detection system shown in
The filters 1-4 can be dichroic mirrors or polychroic mirrors. Each filter reflects one of the channels to a corresponding mirror.
The optical elements of the splitting systems are arranged to preserve the orientations of the images associated with the channels. For example, when a specimen is illuminated with excitation light and each type of fluorescently labeled component emits light in a different emission channel, each type of component has an associated image in a color that corresponds to the emission channel wavelength. The splitting system separates the different images according to the emission channel wavelengths and each image is captured by one of the detectors. The optical elements of the splitting system do not reorient the separate images of the components.
In other embodiments, a spitting system can have more than one set of filters. Each set of filters reflects a different set of emission channels.
The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the systems and methods described herein. The foregoing descriptions of specific examples are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive of or to limit this disclosure to the precise forms described. For example, with reference to
Claims
1. A system comprising: one or more detectors, wherein each detector is disposed within one of the detector mounts to receive one of the channels and the channels travel approximately equal optical path lengths.
- a splitting system to receive a beam composed of one or more channels of light, separate the channels, and direct the channels into separate, substantially parallel paths; and
- an array of detector mounts; and
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a polychroic mirror to reflect the channels to the splitting system.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the splitting system includes:
- a set of mirrors; and
- one or more sets of optical filters, wherein each filter in each set is to reflect one of the channels toward one of the minors, and each minor is positioned and oriented to reflect the channel into one of the separate, substantially parallel paths.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of the mirrors positioned around the set of filters further comprises the mirrors radially distributed around the set of optical filters.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical filters are dichroic mirrors.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical filters are polychroic mirrors.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the splitting system is to direct the channels into separate, substantially parallel paths further comprises the substantially, parallel paths lie in the same plane.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the splitting system is to direct the channels into separate, substantially parallel paths further comprises the substantially, parallel paths have a two-dimensional geometrical arrangement.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the array of detector mounts is approximately planar.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein each detector further comprises one of a photodetector array, a CCD camera, or a CMOS camera.
11. An instrument for capturing separate images of components of a specimen, the instrument comprising: one or more detectors, wherein each detector is disposed within one of the detector mounts to receive one of the channels and the channels travel approximately equal optical path lengths.
- a light source to illuminate the specimen with an excitation beam of light that excites fluorescently labeled components to emit light in a number of different emission channels, each emission channel associated with particular component;
- an objective lens to capture and direct the emission channels into an emission beam;
- a splitting system to receive the emission beam, separate the beam into the emission channels, and direct the emission channels into separate, substantially parallel paths; and
- an array of detector mounts disposed on one side of the instrument; and
12. The instrument of claim 11 further comprising a polychroic mirror to reflect the emission channels to the splitting system.
13. The instrument of claim 11, wherein the splitting system includes:
- a set of mirrors; and
- one or more sets of optical filters, wherein each filter in each set is to reflect one of the emission channels toward one of the mirrors, and each mirror is positioned and oriented to reflect the emission channel into one of the separate, substantially parallel paths.
14. The instrument of claim 12, wherein the set of the mirrors positioned around the set of filters further comprises the mirrors radially distributed around the set of optical filters.
15. The instrument of claim 12, wherein the optical filters are dichroic mirrors.
16. The instrument of claim 12, wherein the optical filters are polychroic mirrors.
17. The instrument of claim 12, wherein the splitting system is to direct the emission channels into separate, substantially parallel paths further comprises the substantially, parallel paths lie in the same plane.
18. The instrument of claim 12, wherein the splitting system is to direct the emission channels into separate, substantially parallel paths further comprises the substantially, parallel paths have a two-dimensional geometrical arrangement.
19. The instrument of claim 12, wherein each detector further comprises a photodetector array, a CCD camera, or a CMOS camera.
20. The instrument of claim 12, wherein the splitting system preserves the orientation of the images associated with the components.
21. The instrument of claim 12, wherein the array of detector mounts is approximately planar.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 10, 2012
Publication Date: Jun 12, 2014
Patent Grant number: 9709787
Applicant: GE HEALTHCARE BIO-SCIENCES CORP. (Piscataway, NJ)
Inventors: Jeremy R. Cooper (Issaquah, WA), Justin Kyle Curts (Issaquah, WA)
Application Number: 14/234,425
International Classification: G02B 21/06 (20060101);